1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a vertically mounted printer for gaming devices that is used to print and present tickets or vouchers to a user of a gaming machine.
2. Description of Related Art
Gaming devices are designed with various shapes and dimensions in order to present entertaining information to a user and to be as ergonomically friendly to the user as possible. Games that are more ergonomically appealing will attract more players who will play for longer time periods. One configuration that is common to gaming machines is to present the user with controls and information on a top surface that is slanted upwardly away from the user. This surface is called a slant top surface. Typical slant top surfaces will have a variety of information presenting devices such as video screens, or spinning reels along with controls for the user such as buttons or joysticks. Prior art slant top gaming devices provide a coin box mounted on the slant top surface. The coin box receives coins or tokens from the user and signals the game to start operation. The coin box also stores the coins or tokens and can also act as a dispenser. When a user has won, the coin box can dispense the proper amount of winnings to a bin.
Unfortunately, coin boxes have many disadvantages. They are subject to frequent breakdowns and jamming. Coin boxes also require frequent filling and removal of coins which are heavy and inconvenient to handle. In response to these problems, operators of gaming devices have investigated the use of other kinds of currency media in order to dispense winnings to the user. Paper media such as vouchers, tickets, coupons, receipts, and game tokens have been used to replace coins. The amount of winnings and other information can be printed on the paper media at the time the media is dispensed to the user. This allows for more customization of the game and adds to the excitement of the game for the user.
Printers are now widely used to print various kinds of information bearing objects. In many applications, it is necessary to place printers in small inaccessible spaces. For example, if a printer is used in a gaming device, the printer must occupy a minimum amount of space so that it does not interfere with the operation of other devices. In this application, it is also important that a printer occupy a minimum amount of space on the front of the machine so that the space can be used to present information or entertaining graphics to the user. Printer must also appear as if originally constructed with the gaming device to add appeal to the user. It is also important that a printer be easily accessible for maintenance and to add more media to the printer. Another important function for a printer in a gaming device is to be readily replaceable. If the gaming device is inoperable, it is advantageous to be able to quickly replace the printer with a working unit. This minimizes down time and loss of revenue to the game operator.
It is desirable for printers for a slant top surface gaming device to present the printed media on the slanted top surface of the device while, at the same time, appearing as if originally constructed with the gaming device and occupying a minimal amount of space within the gaming device. Such demanding requirements present a difficult challenge to printer designers. The smaller a printer becomes, the more difficult it is to perform routine maintenance or to correct faults. The smaller the amount of space a printer occupies, the more difficult it is to access and remove the printer. What has long been needed is a printer that can be mounted on a slant top surface and occupies a minimum amount of space, yet is easily accessed and maintained. Another long felt need is a printer that can be easily added to space occupied by a coin box in existing gaming devices.